


Just You Wait

by grapenight



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1910s, Ballroom Dancing, Coming Out, Courtship, Eavesdropping, Hate to Love, M/M, Misunderstandings, Nobility, Pranks and Practical Jokes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 19:29:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7067074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grapenight/pseuds/grapenight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Harry eavesdrops on a conversation between Louis and his mother, he hears Louis insulting his family. He doesn't have the heart to tell his family, who believes Louis and Gemma will get married, so Harry makes a plan to expose Louis for the person he really is. </p>
<p>Very loosely based on Downton Abbey. Harry is the son of nobility, and Louis is expected to marry his sister.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just You Wait

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whatamidoingwithmylife](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatamidoingwithmylife/gifts).



> To whatamidoingwithmylife, I really hope you enjoy this, even though it's not very similar to your prompt. Because of time limitations, I couldn't go very deep into this story, enough so to completely fulfill your prompt. I had to have Liam and Niall as part of the staff, to assist with the story, and while there is mentions of Zayn/Niall, Zayn wasn't actually present in the fic. I hope you enjoy it anyways, I had fun writing this!
> 
> Some more general notes, this was written quickly, and beta-ed just as quickly, so apologies for any mistakes. Also, this was supposedly set in about 1914 (around the beginning of the Downtown Abbey series) but I wasn't able to deeply research the time period, so there might be some errors in regards to that. 
> 
> Overall, I hope you enjoy it!

There was a slim possibility that it was entirely Harry's own fault. Eavesdropping is an easily avoidable action, if desired. He could have made himself known the second he stumbled upon the private conversation. He could have walked away. At the very least, he could have done something when he realized he, or more so his family, were the topic of conversation. Instead, he flattened himself against the wall, right beside the door, and listened closely to the voices inside the room. 

"I know what they desire, and it's absurd," the light, airy male voice said. It was Louis Tomlinson, lawyer, and guest at Harry's family's estate. He was a few years older than Harry himself, a few inches shorter, and much louder, which only eased the difficulty of Harry's eavesdropping. 

"Now, darling, why are you saying such things? They are a lovely family, and they have been nothing but nice to us," The other voice, who could only be Louis' mother, replied. 

"That is exactly it, they have been far too nice. I can see their intentions. They desire for me to marry their daughter, which you know would never happen," Louis stated.  
Harry's breath stuttered, and he struggled to silence himself. Something nasty began brewing in his stomach, feelings of shock, rage, and shame mixing together in the most disgusting manner. 

"Oh, darling, I know she's not exactly what you are looking for, but we cannot offend them-" Louis' mother, Jay, began, only to be quickly interrupted by her son. 

"Not what I'm looking for? That is the largest understatement I have ever heard. There is no event that would ever lead to me marrying her, you know as much. I don't enjoy wasting my time, and theirs, on something that is not even a remote possibility," Louis said. 

Even though it was more than likely Harry's own fault that he heard what he did, he couldn't stand to stay around a second longer, and listen to his family get degraded in this manner. He stormed off down the hall, careless to whom might hear him. When he heard a door creak open from behind him, he did not even turn around to look. He knew it would be Louis, and he knew he would quickly realize what Harry had just heard. 

He went straight to his room, passing any tasks he had planned to complete in the evening to the next morning. He needed to be alone, to sort out his thoughts, and the new information that came with those thoughts, quickly. He fiercely opened his door, and closed it with just as much gusto, before he melted onto his bed. 

Louis had nerve. Gemma was beautiful, truly the highlight of Harry's family. She was funny, intelligent, and clever. Harry didn't think a sister could exist that he would be more proud of. She was, in Harry's opinion, far too good for Louis, but his large inheritance was enough to convince Harry's parents that he was a perfect match for their daughter. Logistically, the pairing between Louis and Gemma was perfect. Gemma would be supported for the rest of her life, could possibly buy an even nicer estate than her own in the future, while her family would also reap the benefits. Even Harry would admit that, as much as he dislikes the idea of marrying off his sister just for the financial benefits. To Louis, the stuck up snob that Harry had just learned he was, even the perfect conditions weren't enough to make him consider courting Gemma. He and his mother had been at the estate for all of three days, and he had already written her off. 

Harry should have been eavesdropping in the first place, it started out as an accident, but he was glad he did, because he now knew that the relationship could never work out. Louis was to blame, because of how judgmental and unfair he was about the situation. Harry was not going to let him have a pleasant time for the rest of his stay, as long as he had any say. And if he could, he was expose his real personality to Gemma. 

 

 

 

"How do you feel about Louis?" Harry's mother, Anne, questioned Gemma the next day. 

"I've met cockroaches more pleasant than him," Harry immediately answered. He was still fuming over the conversation he heard the previous night. 

Gemma laughed loudly at Harry's obvious disapproval, while Anne gasped in horror and shock. 

"Harry! How could you say that? He was nothing but polite and charming to us," Anne said. 

Harry crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm a good judge of character, and I can tell that is nothing but a façade. The sooner he's gone, the better, in my opinion." 

Gemma was still laughing softly, surprised at the harsh outbreak from her brother. 

"Do not talk like that, there is a good chance he and your sister could get married, and do you even know how good that will be for her, and all of us? If he, or his mother, heard you talking like that, they would leave immediately, and write us off as an impolite family with no class," Anne said. 

Harry thought about how Louis had already written them off, without any valid reason to, but he refrained from saying anything. He didn't want to hurt Gemma's feelings, the previous night he decided that he wanted to avoid that at all costs, so he would have to find other ways of convincing Gemma that he was a terrible person. It probably wouldn't be too hard, it was only a matter of time before he showed his vile side again. 

His mother was a bit of a setback in that plan, considering how much the match between Louis and Gemma appealed to her. Harry had forgotten to take that into consideration, which lead to a bump in the road in his plan. Thankfully, at least, he was mainly concerned with convincing Gemma, who was the one who really mattered in this situation. She and Louis weren't going to get married either way, Harry had learned that from his eavesdropping stunt, but he much preferred that coming from Gemma's own refusal, rather than being denied by Louis. 

Louis and his mother were only set to remain at the Styles' estate for two weeks, which should be plenty of time for Harry to work with. He had spent his entire life with Gemma, he knew her better than anyone else, and he could read her like a book. All he had to do was convince Gemma that Louis wasn't a proper match for her. Two weeks was plenty of time to expose Louis' true personality. 

 

 

 

"Hello, Niall," Harry said, walking into the kitchens. 

Niall looked around quickly, presumably searching for the other servants, especially one his bosses, but Harry knew they weren't there, considering he had passed them on his way down to the kitchens. 

"What are you doing down here?" Niall finally asked, after not spotting anyone else. 

"Am I not allowed to walk around the house I own?" Harry asked in return, clasping his hands behind his back. 

"It's not yours yet, god knows what will happen when it is, I can only imagine the worst," Niall said, dropping the towel he was holding onto the counter, running around and stacking plates, bowls, and food on different platters. 

Harry dropped the act and laughed, "I am fully aware. Thankfully we have quite a long time until that happens. Today, I'm just here to ensure that our guests get the best treatment." 

"And why is that?" Niall asked 

Harry walked over to the spice rack, and grabbed a few random bottles, and took them over to a platter, where rows of small bowls of soup were sitting. "It's only fair that he receives the same treatment he gives to others." 

"I assume you are referring to Louis?" 

Harry smiled at his friend. He knew him very well, enough so that he could immediately pick up on Harry' dislike for Louis. And he was made a great friend by the fact that he supported it, trusting Harry's judgment. He opened one of the spice jars, and dropped a few pinches in, before moving on to the next bottle. "I heard him talking about Gemma, and my family in general. He was making fools out of all of us, and talked as if it were preposterous that he would ever marry Gemma. I saw his true colors then, but the rest of my family seems to be slow on the uptake. I'm sure it will only take a small bit of pushing before he exposes himself as the bigot he is." 

Harry continued to throw random spices into the single bowl of soup, while Niall watched. 

"I see. And is this the first push?" Niall questioned. 

Harry nodded, and set the final spice down on the counter. "This bowl of soup is his. I don't care what you have to do, this one is his." 

"Don't worry, I'm on it," Niall promised. "Now get out of here, go back to your dinner party, make sure to glare at Louis an ample amount." 

"You know I will," Harry replied. 

 

 

 

Glaring at Louis served multiple purposes. Louis couldn't look his way without cringing slightly, shocked and afraid at the stormy expression that was clearly directed toward him. For Harry, it was an outlet of his anger, and also assured that he wouldn't miss seeing Louis' face when he first tried the soup. Harry could not even imagine how the soup would taste, but he was certain it would be repulsive, at the very least. 

The fact that Louis immediately spits out the soup after his first spoonful confirms Harry's assumptions. He has to smother his laughter, but it was completely worth it to see the entire table's reaction to it. 

Anne was covering her mouth, while Gemma and their father were both slightly disgusted. Granny was furious, and Harry knew she assumed it was an incredibly rude review of the food. 

Harry was just beginning to work on his plan, but it was already working out better than he could have hoped. One day in and all of his family members are disgusted, albeit temporarily, at Louis. 

"I'm so sorry, I can’t believe I made such a mess. The soup was just a bit too hot for me, I should have known to wait until it cooled down, but I was just so eager. My sincerest apologies to you all," Louis said, doing his best to mop of the spit out soup with his napkin, while several servants hovered around him, trying to assist.  
It wasn't even that big of a mess, Harry didn't understand all the effort of cleaning it up. He was disappointed that it seemed they were already moving on, apology accepted. He couldn't even imagine how much trouble he would be in if he spit out food. Why was Louis forgiven in a matter of seconds? 

"Have you been enjoying your stay?" Anne asked Louis, completely changing the subject. Harry glared even more at him as he rambled on about how much he was enjoying his stay. Anne smiled happily at him, completely forgetting the soup incident, even though it occurred mere moments prior. Harry, on the other hand, could see right through him, and he wasn't going to let him get away with it. 

"What is wrong with you today?" Gemma asked, leaning over to talk to Harry privately. 

Harry turned to her, his mouth kept in a straight line. "There's nothing wrong with me, why?" 

Gemma shook her head, "I know you're lying, you've been acting unusual lately, I just hope you have a good reason." And with that, she turned back to join the conversation that was currently going on at the table. 

Twenty minutes later, the meal was almost over, and most of the plates and bowls were cleared and empty, except for Louis' soup, which was noticeably full. 

"Louis," Harry said, smiling for the first time during the meal, "I believe your soup should be cooled by now, aren't you going to finish it? It's delicious, I guarantee you don't want to miss out on it." 

Louis was staring at Harry, visibly shocked that he had verbally addressed him, with a smile, no less. Harry could see the moment where it clicked in his head that it was Harry who had a hand in tampering with his soup. His eyes narrowed slightly. 

Harry continued to smile at him, pleased with himself. 

"Oh, yes, you must try the soup now that is has cooled, I'm sure you will enjoy it," Anne added, unknowingly assisting her son. 

Louis released a breath, and smiled. "Yes, I had almost forgotten about the soup. Thank you for reminding me, Harry." 

He said Harry's name with snide, although Harry might have been the only one that noticed. He moved on from it quickly, choosing to instead focus on Louis, who had brought the spoon, now full of his disgusting soup, up to his lips. Harry couldn't believe he was actually going to eat the soup. He had expected him to refuse to eat it, offending Harry's family, and their staff and chefs, in the process. Watching Louis eat the soup was equally as satisfying, though, even if it didn't serve to further Harry's purpose. He could find other ways to expose Louis' true character. 

Louis put the soup in his mouth and swallowed quickly, his face blank. Harry had to do his best to hold back his laughter. The table's conversation moved onto the weather outside, while Harry and Louis both remained distracted by Louis's soup. Louis had to force himself to eat the soup, and it was now his turn to glare at Harry, while Harry smiled happily at him in return. Louis excused himself immediately after finishing the soup, holding his stomach as his scurried out of the room. 

Overall, while the meal wasn't conductive in moving Harry's plan forward, it did make Harry feel better, so it wasn't a complete loss. He has plenty of other ideas that he could set into motion. 

 

 

"Harry, why are you doing this? This is so unlike you," Liam said from where he was folding clothes, setting them in neat piles. 

"You should have heard him," Harry insisted, grabbing another handful of blueberries so he squish them into Louis's white shirt. "Disrespecting my entire family. He's going to crush Gemma if I can't convince her he's an awful person first. He's so falsely charming in front of her, I think she actually likes him, and thinks he would be a good husband, meanwhile he said himself he'd never marry her. It's not fair of him to string her along like that. I can't even think of his reason for doing it, besides his own enjoyment." 

"And to convince her he's a bad person you're staining his clothes?" Liam asked, stilling folding clothes. 

"Yes. I saw what he's really like, when he isn't putting on a show, so I know with a little irritation, he'll expose himself. I'm sure he'll throw a fit about this," Harry explained. 

"I think anyone would be rightfully upset if all their white clothing had all these stains. I would, at least." 

"No you wouldn't. You're the most levelheaded person I know, you'd probably apologize for staining your clothes, even if you had no responsibility in it," Harry said. 

"That's not true," Liam insisted. 

Harry laughed, setting the next set of blueberries on Louis's shirt, and slamming his hand down. "Whatever you say. If this doesn’t work out how I hope, I have other plans, don't worry. Gemma will hate him by the time I'm done." 

"You have good intenetions, mostly, you just have a strange way of getting there," Liam informed him. 

Harry couldn't argue with that. 

 

 

  
Harry was in the library later that day, sitting in a comfortable armchair and reading a novel. Gemma was in the chair across from him, writing something in a journal. It was a quiet and peaceful afternoon. The peace was shattered when someone stormed into the library, slamming the door open. 

Harry wasn't surprised to see it was Louis, looking murderous and clutching a (used to be) white shirt in his hands. 

"What kind of house are you keeping here? One of your servants ruined all of my white clothing! How does that even happen?" He exclaimed, looking between Gemma and Harry, but mostly at Harry. 

Gemma's eyes grew wider as she saw the shirt, "I'm so sorry, I have no idea-" 

"I think I know perfectly well who knows what happened," Louis said, fully turning his gaze to Harry. 

"Why would I have any idea?" Harry said innocently, setting his book down on the arm of the chair and folding his hands in his lap. He met Louis's harsh gaze with a polite smile. 

Louis was fuming. "I'm certain you had a hand in this." 

Harry saw Gemma open her mouth, about to say something, when someone else entered the room. 

"Granny?" Harry asked upon seeing her. 

"Why is there so much noise going on? Is this necessary? Or is it just a new, noisy method of flirtation?" She asked, looking between the three of them. 

"It's nothing, Granny, I promise," Gemma said. 

"Maybe not from your end," Granny replied. "Well, please, do what you may, just keep it down. But first, young man, what is the issue with that shirt?" 

Granny had an acute sense of ruined clothing, it was a talent of hers. 

Louis held up the shirt in his hands, "It's stained, by-" 

"If the shirt is stained, go take it to be cleaned. Where is your common sense? This is the library, I will show you where to take your clothes," Granny insisted. 

"No, really-" Louis tried. 

"Nonsense, come with me, I am only getting older, I don't have much time to waste." 

"Yes, ma'am," Louis sighed, and looked at Harry once more. Harry raised one blueberry stained hand, and waved it at him, causing him to glare, before being ushered out of the room by Granny. 

"That was a bit cruel, don't you think?" Gemma asked. 

"It's not nice to talk about your grandmother that way," Harry said, picking his book back up, and picking up from where he left off. 

"You know that isn't what I meant," Gemma said, quietly enough that it was mostly to herself. 

 

 

 

"Why are we getting roped into this? What if we get fired?" Niall complained, rearranging his sack of pebbles. 

"You know as long as I'm here, and we're friends, that you two will never get fired. So it's really only fair that you help me out," Harry insists. 

"I'm not sure how putting rocks in Mr. Tomlinson's bed really counts as helping anyone," Liam said. 

"Shush, Liam, you're supposed to be the one on my side," Harry said. 

"I am on your side, I'm just going to feel very guilty about this." 

"Just remember that Louis is a vile human being, and it makes all of this easier," Harry offered his own trick to not feeling any guilt about his current actions. He found it worked quite well. 

They reached the guest room Louis was staying in, and opened the door. Harry immediately noticed that the room already smelled a bit like Louis, a mixture of sweet and clean that Harry was strangely attuned to. He quickly pushed that thought aside in order to focus on the more important matters at hand. 

"Now, just put these everywhere. Under the sheets, between the blankets, in the pillows, anywhere you can think," Harry instructed. "Make it the biggest pain to get rid of." 

Liam and Niall nodded, and the three of them set to work, hiding all of their pebbles in Louis' belongings. 

 

 

 

Breakfast the next morning was a joy, Louis was grumpy and had noticeable circles under his eyes, like he hadn't gotten very much sleep at all. It was almost as if he had spent the entire night pulling pebbles out of his bed. 

"Louis, you don't look very well rested," Harry said, deciding to comment on it. "Did you have a rocky start to the day?"

If they were alone, Harry is certain he would have received a fair amount of curse words in return for that comment. As it was, at breakfast, with both their families present, he couldn't say anything along those lines. Harry hoped he would anyways. It would be a quick and easy way to offend the entire group. 

"Yes, I did not have the best night of sleep last night. It's always hard to be away from home, you know? I miss my sisters, it just gets hard to sleep at night when I'm concerned with how they are doing, wondering if they miss me very much," Louis said. 

Harry couldn't believe Louis had come up with such a clever lie, so quickly. Harry's own mother was pleased at his sweet answer, and apparently had no skill to see through the charming mask. 

Granny, on the other hand, was completely interested in something else he had said. "Sisters? I have some sisters myself, they are mostly a pain, the only time I get a good night sleep is when I am far away from them. Most of that was when we were younger, but I imagine they are all still just as annoying nowadays. You get enough of them together, and there is nonstop noise, and nothing you can do about it," she said. 

"I understand, they can be a bit of a handful, but at this point I am so used to it that it seems weird to not have them bothering me," Louis replied. 

Granny nodded. "You sound like a good boy. I will be happy to have you in the family." 

Harry choked up his eggs. Somehow he managed to get Granny to approve of Louis marrying Gemma even more. His plan was not going the way he had intended. 

 

 

 

"Is there a reason you keep sabotaging every bit of my life?" Louis asked, having corned Harry in the library. Harry's habit of following the same schedule everyday was coming back to haunt him. Louis had learned it, and apparently discovered the best times to catch him alone. 

"I've sabotaged every bit of your life? That's quite impressive, from my end, I certainly did not believe I had that sort of scope. But I can't be affecting your love life, can I? I'm very certain you already have that much decided, and nothing I am doing has any weight on that decision," Harry replied. 

"What are you talking about?" Louis asked, eyebrows furrowed. 

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You have no plans to marry my sister. You think so lowly of my family that you were never even considering it, and you have been spending this entire week just playing with us. I couldn’t let you do that, give my sister hopes of a charming husband, and a good life, just for you to crush all that. I was trying to show Gemma how terrible you actually were, but you kept ruining it," Harry explained. He was so frustrated. Time and time again he attempted to make Louis make himself look bad, expose his bad manners, but every single time he saved it, and somehow made himself look good instead. 

"Harry, I don't know where you got that from-" Louis started to say, raising his hands, in a manner that said 'calm down'. 

"From your own mouth! I heard you talking with your mother! I was eavesdropping, which I know is wrong, but if that's what it took to find out your real motives, I'm glad I did it. I can't let you disappoint my sister like this. She doesn't deserve it," Harry interrupted him. 

Silence feel across the room, create a tense, cautious atmosphere. Louis' hands dropped to his side, and he took a step back. They stared at each other, the confession sitting heavily between them. 

Louis looked toward the door, which was shut, and then around the room, as if he were searching for other people. Harry was about to laugh, thinking it was preposterous that he was worried someone else found out just how vile he really was, but he didn't have it in him. He was actually much closer to tears. Louis took a breath, which was almost loud in juxtaposition to the room around them. Harry could tell he was thinking deeply, his eyes searching Harry's face for something, but Harry had no idea what that something could be. 

"I would never marry your sister, but it's not for the reason you think. It has nothing to do with her. She is a lovely woman, and I sincerely hopes she finds a husband who loves and respects her, but most importantly, makes her happy. I could never do that much. I am homosexual," Louis said each sentence carefully, slowly, deliberately. 

It was just those last three words that shocked Harry. He couldn't wrap his head around it, but at the same time, everything started to fall into place. He wasn't attracted to women. He could never actually make Gemma happy, because he could never be happy himself. He managed to make himself look good in any situation, even after all the tricks Harry pulled, because he was genuinely a good person. 

Harry's heart fell into his stomach. 

"Please, please, don't go spreading it around. It could ruin my family's reputation, possibly our careers. I'm a lawyer, no one would want my services, they would look past all of my hard work, and just see the fact that I'm gay. I can't let this affect my family, either, which is why we came here, even though we fully knew what was expected, and that it would never happen. It would be ruder for us to refuse to come at all, you know? You have a lovely family, we really don't want to create a problem between us. You can tell your sister, or your parents, if they need to know, but please don't make it public knowledge. We can leave right now, if that would make your comfortable, just please don't tell anyone," Louis said desperately, taking Harry's silence as disgust. 

Harry snapped out of his own thoughts, hearing the pain and fear in Louis's voice. "I am so sorry, I had no idea, if I had known I would have never been so cruel to you. You didn't deserve anything I did to you, I am truly very sorry. I made you eat that entire bowl of soup. I've never been so cruel to a person, and to think that was the reason! I can't believe myself! How can you ever forgive me?" Harry asked, feeling awful about his actions. 

"Everything that happened was my fault, I should have found a better way to handle this, it wasn't your fault at all, please don't worry," Louis insisted. 

"I just," Harry started, running a hand through his hair, trying to find the correct words, ones that he had never said before. "Men. Me too." 

"Let's sit down," Louis suggested, pulling Harry over to his favorite armchair. He shakily slid down, while Louis seated himself in the chair across from him. "You prefer men, too, is that what you're saying?" 

Louis face was kind and open, which was such a contrast to what Harry had grown used to over the past week. Harry felt like he could trust him. He nodded. 

"Have you told anyone else?" 

Harry shook his head, "They all know, though. My family, my friends. I've heard the staff gossiping about me before, so they know, too. We don't talk about it." 

Louis nodded. "Do you want to hear about when I first began to think I was homosexual?" He asked. 

"Yes, please," Harry replied, staring down at his hands, which were still slightly shaking. Louis said the word homosexual so confidently, like he owned the word, owned it's meaning. Harry wished he could be as confident. 

Louis was gifted at storytelling, and managed to make a story about discovering himself and the fears that went along with that story enjoyable. Harry found himself laughing in a few different spots, and Louis smile grew brighter as he went on. 

For the first time in Louis' stay, they were both on the same page. 

 

 

"What terrible plan do you have for Louis or his belongings today?" Niall asked. Both he and Liam were in Harry's room early the next morning. 

"We were just planning to go for a walk today," Harry informed them. 

"Since when are you on good enough terms to go for a walk? Will we find his body in the woods?" Niall asked. 

"Niall! Don't encourage him. If they are truly on good terms, let it remain that way," Liam insisted. 

"Yes, Niall, listen to Liam. We are on good terms, and it will remain that way," Harry told him. 

"What about Gemma?" Niall asked. 

Harry brushed off his sleeve, "Don't worry about that. I will tell you more tonight. Just know that I was terribly wrong about Louis." 

Niall nodded, and Harry smiled at his friends. "Good. Now I must go find Louis." 

Once Harry left the room, Liam turned to Niall, "Should we have commented on him wearing some of his nicest clothes?" 

"I don't think so. We can ask about it tonight. I think he has something important to tell us, but I think we both might have an idea what it is," Niall answered.  
Liam nodded in agreement. 

 

 

It was a beautiful day, pleasantly warm and sunny, but the weather was the last thing Harry was paying attention to on their walk. 

"Do you talk openly about it, with your family, and friends?" Harry asked. 

"Not all the time. If it's relevant, and in private, then yes. It's taken a lot of time, sometimes someone will still get angry about it, especially my father. I think he's mostly upset that I won't produce an heir. Not like we really have an estate, like you, but he still worries about it, and where the money will go." 

"Does that upset you?" 

"Yes. I wish everyone would accept it, and I could be open about it without ruining my reputation, but it's not possible, not at this point." 

Harry felt guilty about asking so many personal questions, but Louis actually encouraged him to. He wanted Harry to know anything he could tell him, anything that could help him. 

"Will you ever settle down with a man? Is that even possible?" 

"I hope to, one day. We would have to be careful about it, and stay out of public, but I believe it could happen." 

"That's wonderful," Harry said, his heart soaring at just the thought. He wanted something like that, badly. 

"You can have that, too. I guarantee. Just choose your happiness over other's expectations for yourself." 

"You're being too nice to me, considering all the things I did to you," Harry said. He kicked a stone that was in front of him, another wave of guilt hitting him. 

"Harry," Louis asserted, stopping in front of his and putting his hands on his shoulders. "You're a lovely person, I know that much, and everything you did was in attempt to protect your sister, which I find very honorable. I have many sisters myself, you know, and I would do anything to ensure their happiness. I admire you, even if you were working on an incorrect assumption. I feel no anger at all toward you." 

Harry looked up, and met Louis's eyes. "Thank you." 

To Harry, that conversation felt like another important milestone in their relationship. 

 

 

The next three days involved a lot of Louis, and a lot of avoiding Liam and Niall. Harry knew he had to tell them about Louis, and why Harry was suddenly spending so much time with him, but if he did that, he would actually have to tell them about him being attracted to men, which was still a scary thought, even after all the help and advice Louis had offered him. Another thing that kept him from mentioning it to his friends was the feeling he got every time he was around Louis. Everytime Louis smiled, and butterflies fluttered around in his insides. Everytime Louis would look at him, and Harry could feel the blush rise on his cheeks. Everytime that Harry wished he could place his hand softly on Louis's cheek, and feel the soft skin there. How occasionally that thought would develop into Harry imagining himself leaning in, and meeting Louis's lips with his own. He wasn't confident that he could tell his friends all of that, and still have them by his side afterword. 

In the end, he didn't have to work up the courage to find his friends and tell them, because they found him, instead. 

The past couple of days, Harry still heavily relied on his routines, but they were modified to account for Louis, since they had become somewhat inseparable. It actually worked out well, Louis seemed to fit flawlessly into Harry's life. On the third day, in the afternoon, instead of accompanying Harry to the library, Louis went to visit his mother, which left Harry in the library, reading, alone, when Liam and Niall found him. 

They opened the door, and by the time Harry looked up, they had already closed it. Harry's eyes widened, when he realized there was no way he was getting out before he told them what was happening. 

"Hello, Harry," Niall said. "Nice to run into you here, it's been awhile." 

"And by that, he means it has been too long, and you need to tell us what is happening," Liam clarified. Leave it to Liam to be upfront about the matter. 

Harry sighed, accepting his fate. "Sit down, and I'll tell you everything." 

He told them all about the confrontation between him and Louis, which had happened in the exact same room they were in. His habitual manner was starting to come back to bite him, he realized. He told them about Louis' confession, and then after a few deep breaths, his own. 

Liam and Niall nodded, neither of them looking surprised or upset. Harry let out a sigh of relief. 

"You didn't expect us to shame you for that, did you? You know better, Harry. We will love you no matter what," Niall promised. "Besides, you know I'm with Zayn, it would be very hypocritical of me." 

"You're with Zayn?" Harry asked, shocked. He was not aware of that. Zayn worked as a gardener, and was often at their home, or others in the area, and while Harry was aware he and Niall were close, but he didn't know it was in that manner. 

"Yes, of course. I can see why you had no idea about Louis, you seem to be blind to this sort of thing," Niall said, laughing. 

"I must be. I think it's a matter of not paying enough attention. I'm sorry about that," Harry apologized. What sort of friend was he? 

"There's no need to apologize. Keep on with your story." 

Harry nodded, and continued to tell them about the previous three days, and about how helpful Louis had been. He informed them of how they were growing closer, and finally, about how Harry was developing a different sort of feelings for Louis. 

"You know, if you get married to Louis, it would be very similar to Gemma being married to him. It would work out well," Liam said. 

"Liam. You know we couldn't actually get married, that's not possible. We would have to keep our relationship secret, from everyone," Harry said. 

"Not from your family. Not from us. Not from the entire staff. Plenty of people could know about it, everyone who matters, and it will be almost the same," Niall offered. 

Harry considered it, "That would be nice. I have no idea how he feels. He has every reason to hate me." 

Liam and Niall both immediately shook their heads. "There's no way he dislikes you. Not after all that," Niall promised. 

"You should ask him to dance. At the ball," Liam suggested. 

They were having a ball at the estate, at the end of the week, to celebrate the Tomlinsons' stay. Only a the closest neighbors and family were invited, so it was just a small affair, but even then, there was no way they could dance at the ball. It was absurd. But at the same time, Harry longed for something like that. 

"We could never," Harry replied. 

Niall and Liam just looked at each other, then back at Harry. "We'll see," Niall said. 

 

 

  
"I feel like I've known you for so long, even though we have really only known each other for two weeks, and I've spent one of those weeks torturing you," Harry told Louis, as they were taking their final walk together, the day before Louis left. The ball was that night, and then Louis and his mother would be leaving the next morning. 

"It was the sweetest torture I have ever known," Louis immediately replied. 

Harry laughed, and shook his head, "That is a lie, and we both know it. You'll never get those blueberry stains out of your clothes." 

"Blueberries are sweet," Louis pointed out, causing Harry to laugh again. "I have said this before, but I have no hard feelings about anything you did. Now I just laugh at it. Looking back, it was all a little funny, wasn't it?" 

Harry nodded in agreement. 

"And this week was the best I have ever has, so it outweighs any bad completely," Louis informed him. 

"Do you mean that?" Harry asked. To him, it truly was one of the best times he had ever experienced. 

"Of course, Harry. I've never met anyone like you. No one as nice, caring, honest, loyal, the list goes on and on," Louis said. "Surely no one with hair as pretty as yours." 

He tugged on one of Harry's curls as he said it, and Harry could feel his own face light up at it. 

"I could say the same about you. You've helped me so much, I am so thankful for you. You'll visit again soon, won't you?" 

"You'll never get rid of me, now, I'm afraid. Not even blueberry stained shirts, rocks in my bed, or truly horrifying soup can keep me away," Louis assured him. 

Harry smiled so widely he was afraid his lips may fall off. 

 

 

 

Before the ball, Harry found himself in Gemma's room, along with his mother. Anne was braiding Gemma's hair into an intricate style, while Gemma was applying her own makeup. Harry was sat on Gemma's bed, watching the process. 

"Do you think Louis will propose tonight?" Anne asked, pinning another braid to Gemma's head. 

Harry gasped, raising his hand to his mouth, barely managing to conceal it from his family members. He had been so distracted by Louis, that he had forgotten his original plan, to convince Gemma that Louis was not fit to marry. 

Would he have to break the news of his sexuality to them now, a mere hour before the beginning of the ball? Would it make Gemma cry? Harry couldn't bare hurting her feelings like this, not before what was supposed to be a marvelous night. Would his mother be angry? Harry couldn't believe he had forgotten something so important. He had been too distracted by his new found feelings, and the sheer relief of being supported, no matter who he was, but they were all about to come crashing down. 

"I should hope not," Gemma said with a chuckle. "I think I am the wrong Styles' sibling for him." 

Harry was certain he was no longer breathing. His heart had possibly stopped beating. It felt like the entire word had stopped. 

"Oh, I had wondered. Is that true, Harry?" Anne asked, turning to look at Harry for the first time. 

Her voice was calm, and her manner had not changed throughout the entire conversation, as if she had already been aware of it. 

"How did you..." Harry began. He couldn't think of a complete sentence 

"A mother tends to sense these kind of things," Anne answered. 

"And you are smitten with him. Obviously so," Gemma added. 

"You aren't angry?" Harry asked. 

"Of course not, sweetheart. It is a bit of a shock, but I can't say that I was completely unaware of it all. I'll actually be very pleased, as long as he makes you happy. I just want both of my children to be their happiest, with whoever gives that happiness to them." 

Harry couldn't stop the tear that fell down his face, or the ten that followed after. Before he knew it, he was surrounded in a hug, his mother on one side, sister on the other. 

"I'm sorry I'm crying, I'm just shocked," Harry informed them through the tears. 

"You're fine, sweetheart, just let it out. We can even put some makeup around your eyes, if you want, so they aren't red for the ball," Anne offered, with a kind smile. 

That made Harry cry even harder, and it took about five minutes before he completely recovered. 

"Do you think we could be happy, in the future?" 

"I know you can," Anne promised. 

"Thank you," Harry replied, with a small, heartfelt smile. 

 

  
The music was lovely, the colors were beautiful, the room was decorated with the nicest designs, and all Harry could pay attention to was Louis. His hair was artfully arranged, bringing out all of his best features, and his suit fit him perfectly. He looked like he was meant to be at these sort of functions all the time. The worst part was every time Harry looked over at Louis, Louis' own eyes would already be trained on Harry, and when they met, he'd flash Harry a heart stopping smile. Harry lasted about twenty minutes before he had to go talk to Louis, unable to stay away. 

"You certainly dressed up," Louis commented as a greeting, smiling widely at Harry. 

"You're breathtaking," Harry said in return, unable to control his own mouth. 

"Am I now?" Louis teased. 

Harry nodded. He couldn't believe he had just said that, aloud. His mental filter had left him. 

Louis grinned, "Do you want to know what was the first thing I thought when I saw you tonight? It was that I would gladly let you smash blueberries onto all of my clothing for the rest of my life, as long as it meant I got to keep you for that long." 

"You can keep me for as long as your life, no blueberry smashing required," Harry replied. He couldn't believe he was saying those type of things to someone, after just a week of being friends. He and Louis had bonded very quickly, possibly making up for lost time. 

"Well, things just keep getting better and better for me, don't they?" 

"I suppose so," Harry said, smiling at Louis. He couldn't believe they had gotten that far, with just one quick conversation. Yet again, they were on the same page. 

"You know what would make the night even better?" Louis whispered, leaning toward Harry, as if he were sharing a secret. 

"No, do tell me." 

"If you would dance with me." 

Harry's face fell, "I would love nothing more, but you know we couldn't, not with all the people here-" 

"What if I said I could work something out, would you trust me?" 

"Yes," Harry said, not even needing time to consider. 

"Then just you wait," Louis promised. 

Harry didn't dance for the rest of the evening, choosing to instead talk with family, friends, and neighbors, often with Louis by his side. Before he knew it, hours had passed, and the ball was clearing out, until the room was empty, beside Harry, Louis, Gemma, and their parents. 

"I think it is time for us to retire for the night, don't you think?" Anne said, once the last guests had left. Everyone agreed, leaving just Harry and Louis. 

"Now?" Harry asked. 

"Not quite," Louis said. "Niall! Liam! Where are you guys?" 

They appeared from the corner of the room, and walked over to where the piano was. 

"You know Niall and Liam?" Harry asked, surprised. 

"Yes, they agreed to do me a favor," Louis said. 

"We might be a bit rusty," Niall warned. "We only got a day to practice." 

And with that, they started playing a slow, soft melody, that almost immediately made tears leak from Harry's eyes. His heart was about to burst. The past week had been very traumatic on his heart, but he figured it had all been worth it. 

"Did you arrange this just for me?" Harry asked. 

"Of course I did. Now, may I have this dance?" Louis asked, holding out his hand. 

"You may," Harry said, collecting himself. 

They danced, their arms around each other, holding each other tightly, while moving slowly with the music. They had the entire dance floor to themselves, and they made use of the very middle of it. With every beat of the music, Harry's felt himself get happier and happier. 

As the song neared its end, Louis whispered, "Would it be inappropriate for me to kiss you now?" 

"I'm not sure, but I do know it will be very disappointing if you don't," Harry whispered back. They had stopped moving at this point, and were standing in the very middle of the dance floor with their arms around each other. 

Louis pulled back enough for Harry to see his smile, and then leaned back in to press his lips to Harry's. It was soft and sweet, like a walk on a sunny day, or an afternoon spent in the library. It meant everything to Harry, and if he had to guess, he would say it meant just as much to Louis. 

The song slowed to a stop, but Harry and Louis paid no mind to it, to involved in each other, and their newfound relationship. Later, they would talk about the details, how they would see each other, who they would tell, and what the future entailed, but for the moment, they focused on the sweet kisses exchanged between them, the soft brushes of Louis' hands on Harry's neck, and the firm grip of Harry's hands on Louis' waist. 

 

 

"Can you see them?" Anne asked, trying to look past her daughter, into the door of the ballroom. 

"Yes! They're kissing now!" Gemma exclaimed. She moved out of the way, so Anne, and Jay, could see. 

"They really are, I can't believe it. This visit worked out so well, I never imagined it," Jay said, wiping a happy tear from her eye. 

"I'm so proud of them," A new voice said from behind the three of them. 

They all turned quickly, surprised to find Granny standing behind them. 

"You are?" Anne asked. She hadn't expected her to be so supportive of the two boys, which is why she had yet to say anything about it to her. 

"Yes. I said from the beginning that those two boys would fall in love. No one listened to me. I'm wise, they should start listening." 

Gemma smiled, "I guess we should. Do you have any advice for me, Granny?" 

"I can't see the future, Gemma, don't expect me to be a fortune teller," she said. "I'm just not blind to young love, and from what I could see, those boys were smitten from the first glance." 

"She is right, if you think about it," Jay replied. 

"Of course I am. Now let's leave them in peace, you should know nothing good comes from spying on someone," Granny insisted.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading!


End file.
